1. education
2. english as a second language

UNIT
2
Definite and indefinite articles
Name
Class
Due date
Grammar explained
Articles are made up of just three little words: a, an and the. They are the most
commonly used adjectives in English as they modify nouns and adjectives.
✱
We use the when we are talking about a specific person, place or thing.
You had better do it or the teacher will get mad.
In this example, we are talking about a specific teacher. Using the is called using the
definite article.
✱
When we are talking about a general member of a group or no single thing in
particular, we use either a or an. These are called the indefinite articles.
You had better do it or a teacher might come.
ge
s
In this example, it doesn’t matter which teacher is coming, you’re still going to get into
trouble!
✱
When do I use a or an?
pa
Similarly, in the example, ‘I would like an apple’, it doesn’t matter which particular
apple it is. As long as you get one, you are going to be happy.
We use a for all the consonant letters.
pl
e
a bicycle, a kangaroo, a jug, a zombie
We use an for all the words beginning with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o).
an aardvark, an egg, an igloo, an octopus
The vowel u is a special case.
m
✱
If the letter sounds like ‘you’, choose a.
Sa
a utility truck, a unique idea
If the letter sounds like ‘uh’, chose an.
an umbrella, an underground garage
✱
The letter h is a tricky letter as well. It all depends
on whether the first sound you hear is a hard
sound or a silent letter. For instance, in these
examples we pronounce the h; that is, the h is a
hard sound:
a hospital, a hippopotamus
However, in the following examples, the first sound
that we hear is a vowel sound and therefore we use
an and do not pronounce the h:
an honour, an honest mistake
Writer’s
Toolbox
Is it an historic event or a
historic event? The truth is, it
can be either. It all depends on
how you pronounce the second
word. If you say ’istoric then
you use an; if, however, you say
historic then you will use a. If
you’re unsure about whether to
use a or an, practise saying the
word aloud to check how you
pronounce the h in the word.
Modern usage firmly leans
towards a historic. Most people
now pronounce the h in historic,
so the use of an is redundant.
3
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UNIT
2
Definite and indefinite articles
Language in use
1
Decide which of the articles (a, an or the) should be used to complete the text.
I woke with
start. What was that noise? I listened keenly. There it was again,
unmistakable growl of thunder. I looked at my watch: 3 pm. I had been asleep for
and
half. I leapt to my feet and looked out
rain began to fall.
clouds above were black and ominous and
first drops of
eerie light lay over
driveway for signs of my parents’ car but there was nothing there. I
knew what I had to do. Quickly, I threw on
threw my boots on. It was time to get
door.
pair of jeans, wrestled into my jacket and
animals inside.
wind slapped me in
face and
sting of it made
ge
s
fields. I scanned
I opened
window, just as
my eyes water. I gritted my teeth, bowed my head and stepped purposefully into
Just above
roaring wind I could hear
horrific screams of
cold.
horses in
distance as they tore up and down
pa
fields. I could barely make out their silhouettes in
pasture.
rain began to fall harder, its icy hands falling relentlessly around me. In
all my years on
as
hour
farm, I had never seen
storm like it. I stopped dead in my tracks
was nowhere safe to run to.
pl
e
hailstone whipped past me. Frantically, I looked for somewhere to shelter but there
frightened horses began smashing their bodies against
their enclosures. As I neared them I could see
bared and their hooves pounded
m
earth. For
knew that it would take
madness in their eyes. Their teeth were
moment I was afraid to move but I
Sa
heroic act to enter their enclosure.
I climbed cautiously onto
wooden fence.
horses seemed to be aware of
my presence. All three of them stopped
and looked suspiciously at me. Suddenly,
bolt of lightning lit
startled
largest of
sky. It
horses and Milly,
horses, reared in fright.
I watched in terror as her gigantic
legs came tumbling down against
wooden palings. I landed with
and became aware of
thud
unusual
sensation of pain shooting through my
arm. Without even looking, I knew that
it was
bad break.
4
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UNIT
2
Definite and indefinite articles
Name
Class
I staggered to my feet, fearing that
Due date
horses would trod on me in their terror.
Desperately, I held my injured arm against my body, my eyes never leaving Milly. She whinnied
loudly and her frothing mouth looked alarming. I spoke softly to her hoping that my familiar
voice would soothe her. I stepped cautiously towards her, but she snorted with such force that
I began to have second thoughts. Blindly, I reached behind me, feeling for
knew must be somewhere behind me. I stumbled over
seemed to throw
horses into
fence that I
rock and my jerking movement
panic. I knew that I needed
new idea and I
knew I needed it quickly.
ge
s
Decide whether each statement is definitely true (T), definitely false (F) or requires
more information (R).
The young person is home alone.
b
The story is set on a farm.
c
A boy is narrating the story.
d
The parents have been delayed because of the storm.
e
The horses were the only animals on the farm that required moving.
f
Milly is a stallion (a male horse).
g
The narrator’s arm is broken.
h
The narrator’s injury was caused by the horse landing on him or her.
i
The narrator is anxious about approaching the horses because they are
pl
e
pa
a
terrified.
The storm is actually a cyclone.
Sa
j
m
2
Vocabulary builder
3
Each word below hides one or two words of three letters. List the words as you
find them, and use the new word (or words) in a sentence. Circle the subject and
underline the verb in each sentence.
a
scandal
b
demand
c
dental
d
carrot
e
mink
f
coil
g
chair
h
salad
can, and —
Can we have fish and chips for dinner?
5
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UNIT
Definite and indefinite articles
2
5
weather
j
tracery
Put the following words into alphabetical order. Then choose a word from each line
and use it in a sentence that defines its meaning.
object, verb, adjective, homonym
b
rhyme, comma, inflection, vocabulary, dictation, modify
c
cathedral, architecture, archaeology, abbey, chivalry
d
legionnaire, legion, excavation, industrial, friar, legend, independence
pa
ge
s
a
pl
e
4
i
Find the missing word in the puzzle below.
T I
m
E
Sa
S M
T R A N
T Y
T H E R
L A T E
A S S E N
E S S E N T I
B E L
U R
T R I
L
O W
E N T
V
A L
S
L A D
a
The missing word is
b
The missing word means
c
Use the missing word in a sentence.
6
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UNIT
3
Verbs (Revision)
Name
Class
Due date
Grammar explained
1
See what you can remember about verbs from Year 7 by using the words from the
box to complete the following passage.
A verb is a word that expresses an
or a
. Every
, even the shortest, contains a
call verbs the ‘
. Generally we
’ words of the English language; however, they
are more than this. They can also be ‘having’ words, ‘
‘
’ words,
’ words or ‘saying’ words. Whenever you wish to tell your
ge
s
reader about when an action is taking place you will adjust the tense that you
are using. Verbs have
principal parts: the base form, the
participle, the past and the past
verbs follow the same pattern. Irregular
pa
are changing tenses,
verbs do
follow the standard rules for making their past and
pl
e
past participle forms.
four
not
participle
present
regular
sentence
m
action
being
doing
Sa
Language in use
2
. When we
Writer’s
Match the verb on the left with its
meaning on the right by drawing a line
between them.
Toolbox
state of being
thinking
verb
Some regular verbs double
the final consonant before
adding –ing.
a
fit
raise up or aloft
b
hector
supply or equip
c
prize
move or force out of place or position
d
uplift
sail around something, especially the world
e
wheeze
break into fragments
f
dislodge
enlarge, extend or increase
g
disintegrate
be or make the right shape or size for
h
furnish
treat in a bullying, domineering way
i
circumnavigate
value highly
j
amplify
breathe with difficulty
7
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UNIT
3
3
Verbs (Revision)
Fill in the gaps in the table with the correct form of the verb.
Base form
Present
Past
a
distract
distracting
distracted
b
intone
c
authorise
d
yodel
f
remembering
g
trade
h
listen
i
sobering
ge
s
e
mumbled
Spelling practice
broadcast
deride
differentiate
discern
familiarise
forego
implore
incriminate
pa
Find the meaning of the following words to improve your spelling and writing.
justify
misspell
overcome
overthrow
pl
e
4
prognosticate
shine
shrink
smoulder
thrive
transcribe
understand
validate
Each word in question 4 is a verb. Fill in the present and past forms of the base
verb in the table and indicate whether it is a regular or irregular verb.
Sa
5
m
Building on language
Base form
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
Present
Past
Regular or irregular?
broadcast
deride
differentiate
familiarise
forego
implore
incriminate
justify
misspell
overcome
overthrow
shine
shrink
transcribe
validate
8
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UNIT
4
Subject–verb agreements
Name
Class
Due date
Grammar explained
A verb is a ‘doing’ word. A subject is the person or thing to whom or which the verb
refers. In English, it is important that the subject and the verb agree so that a sentence
is correct. The following rules will help you to write clear sentences.
✱
If the subject is singular (refers to one person or thing), the
verb will have an –s ending.
Writer’s
The kettle boils madly on the stove.
Toolbox
The elephant trumpets in the jungle.
The teacher corrects the assignments.
If the subject is plural (refers to more than one person or
thing), the verb will not end in –s.
The students write in their diaries.
The butterflies flap their wings.
The waves crash upon the shore.
Singular pronouns require an –s verb ending, plural pronouns do not.
Singular pronouns
pa
✱
ge
s
✱
Did you notice
that plural nouns
add an s but plural
verbs drop the s?
pl
e
anybody, anyone, each, either, everybody, everyone,
much, neither, no-one, nobody, one, someone
Plural pronouns
both, few, many, others, several
Everybody enjoys watching the Oscars.
1
Sa
m
Many of my friends play sport on the
weekend.
Write five sentences using words from the
boxed list of pronouns.
Writer’s
Toolbox
These pronouns can be
either singular or plural:
some, any, none, all, most.
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UNIT
Subject–verb agreements
4
✱
When a sentence has two or more subjects joined by and, a verb without an –s is
needed.
Boys and girls play in the local park.
Zebras, lions, cheetahs and hippopotamuses roam the plain.
✱
Collective nouns such as team, bunch, class, faculty and constellation are singular
when considered as a unit. These will take a verb with an –s ending.
A bunch of flowers sits on the windowsill.
The tennis team plays in the finals this week.
Language in use
Circle the correct verb in the following sentences.
a
The artist (arrange / arranges) his paintbrushes, oils, varnishes and easels.
b
The farmer (harvest / harvests) the grains from the field.
c
Some students (write / writes) with their left hand, but (play / plays) tennis with
ge
s
2
d
Your baby daughter (have / has) a beautiful smile, even though her two front
teeth (is / are) missing.
Have you ever wondered where some of our English words come from? Select the
verb or subject so that the sentences in each paragraph make sense.
a
sandwich
pl
e
3
pa
their right hand.
?
Sa
m
It (is / are) 1762. In the County of Kent, England, a (man
Did you know?
/ men) with a terrible gambling addiction is reluctant to
When Captain Cook first landed
(leave / leaves) the gambling tables. His name is John
at Hawaii, he named the island
Montagu and he is a nobleman; in fact, he (is / are) the
‘Sandwich Isles’. This was
4th Earl of Sandwich. The earl (stop / stops) neither for
in honour of the 4th Earl of
food nor rest and continues gambling. Growing hungrier
Sandwich who had helped to
by the minute, the earl (asks / ask) for cold meat to be
finance his voyage.
served to him between slices of bread and, thus, the
sandwich (is / was) born. (Nobody / Everyone) there on
that day could have known that sandwiches would (become / becomes) so popular!
b
10
chocolate
Many people (cite / cites) this food as their favourite! The Aztecs
had many (use / uses) for it in their society, including for trade,
religious rituals and for pleasure. The Spanish conquistador, Hernán
Cortés, (is / was) one of the first Europeans to (taste / tastes) what
the Aztecs called xocolatl meaning ‘bitter water’. The Aztecs
would (grind / grinds) cocoa beans into a paste and (mix / mixes)
it with honey, vanilla, spices and water and (enjoy / enjoys) it as a
drink. Cortés’ (return / returns) to Spain ensured that the recipe
was introduced to Europe. Europeans, however, substituted sugar,
nutmeg and cinnamon for the chili and began calling it chocolate.
Thanks to the Aztecs, (million / millions) of people around the world
now (enjoy / enjoys) chocolate every day.
Pearson English Year 8 AB_TEXT.indd 10
Writer’s
Toolbox
Conquistador is a
title given to Spanish
conquerors of Mexico
and Peru in the
sixteenth century.
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UNIT
5
Tenses
Name
Class
Due date
Grammar explained
Tense means time. The tense of a verb tells us when an action occurs. In English, there
are three simple tenses: past, present and future.
The past tense of a verb suggests to us that the action has already taken place.
Michael worked for the Department of Defence.
The past tense of a verb usually ends in –ed or –d. Sometimes the use of the words was
or were indicate the use of past tense. In these situations, the verb has –ing added to it.
Michael was working for the Department of Defence.
The present tense of a verb refers to an action that is currently taking place or is
happening now.
? Did you know?
ge
s
Michael works for the Department of Defence.
The future tense of a verb refers to something that is
yet to happen or will happen in the future.
pa
Michael will work for the Department of Defence.
The future tense of a verb can often be identified by the
presence of the words will or shall in a sentence.
Newspaper headlines are
generally written in the present
tense. For example: Man is
attacked by shark. This is to
create the impression that the
reports are ‘up to the minute’
2
m
Convert the following sentences from present tense to past tense.
a
Lucy enjoys playing the guitar.
b
The children enjoy feeding their pet giraffes.
c
Dana is hiding in the cellar.
d
The scientists are looking for a cure.
e
The teacher is marking their assignments with joy on her face.
Sa
1
pl
e
Language in use
Convert the following sentences from past tense to present tense.
a
The crowd cheered wildly as their team ran onto the field.
b
Their scarves were wound tightly around their necks.
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UNIT
Tenses
5
c
The scores were very close at half time.
d
Silence descended on the crowd as the player lined up to take his shot at the
goal.
e
Last year we
b
In the holidays we will
c
Yesterday, Susannah
d
Some day
e
In 1972,
f
Once upon a time,
g
Tomorrow morning, I am going
h
At recess, I
pa
Change the sentences below into the specified tense.
Sa
Original sentence
12
ge
s
a
pl
e
4
Create new and interesting sentences for each sentence beginning. At the end of
each sentence, state whether it is past (P), present (Pr) or future tense (F).
m
3
The family cried as they watched their team get annihilated by the opposition.
Change to New sentence
a
Tomorrow he will testify in court.
Past
b
She adored the present that she
was given.
Present
c
She adored the present that she
was given.
Future
d
I know that you are afraid.
Past
e
Human cloning will take place in
my lifetime.
Present
f
He knelt by her bedside and held
her soft, white hand.
Present
g
He knelt by her bedside and held
her soft, white hand.
Future
h
We have accumulated substantial
evidence against this man.
Future
i
I will see you at the debating
tournament.
Past
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UNIT
Tenses
5
Name
j
Class
Sebastian watches the clock
ticking as he feels the panic rising
in his stomach, afraid that he will
not be able to finish his exam.
Due date
Future
Vocabulary builder
A synonym is a word that has the same meaning or similar meaning to another word.
If something is synonymous, therefore, it is expressing or suggesting the same idea.
6
From column B, select the word or expression that is synonymous with the word in
column A.
Column B
a
defective
flawless, infallible, imperfect, impeccable
b
euphoria
despondency, jubilation, melancholy, unhappiness
c
fulsome
effusive, passionless, moderate, restrained
d
harrowing
agreeable, concordant, harmonious, vexing
e
inept
adept, clumsy, competent, skilled
f
mirth
desolation, despondency, glee, woe
g
odious
h
punctilious
i
resounding
j
wretched
pl
e
pa
ge
s
Column A
charming, delightful, enthralling, repellent
meticulous, shoddy, sloppy, slipshod
m
inadequate, insubstantial, fragile, reverberating
ecstatic, exultant, desolate, jubilant
Sa
5
Place each word from column A into a sentence.
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
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UNIT
5
7
Tenses
Find the word that is spelled incorrectly. Write the correct spelling on the line
below. Then, in your notebook, learn the correct spelling and meaning of each word
in the list by putting it in a sentence.
affluence
affront
blowzy
circumlocution
concede
decommission
embarassment
flimsy
gruesome
hypothetical
indefatigable
jowl
languid
mayonnaise
metamorphosis
pandemonium
quadrant
reprieve
separate
taut
Spelling practice
anonymous
atmosphere
autobiography
comprehension
criticism
dialogue
fascinating
grammar
humorous
incident
ge
s
Find the meaning of the following words to improve your spelling and writing.
literature
narrative
onomatopoeia
paraphrase
playwright
pa
8
punctuation
rhyme
Shakespeare
soliloquy
tragedy
The following passage is confusing because it contains a mix of tenses. Make the
necessary changes so that it reads correctly.
m
9
pl
e
Building on language
I will sway
to the gentle rhythm and rocking of the train. I am nestling
Sa
my head into the smooth leather upholstery. I looked out the grimy
window and watching
the landscape is floating
Snug in my coat, I am feeling
by.
my eyes begin to droop. It isn’t
long before I was fast asleep.
It was the shrill piercing of the train whistle that wakes
is falling
is adjusting
me. Night
and a stranger had entered my compartment. As my eyes
to the gloom, I begin
to look for
distinguishing features on my neighbour, but her eyes were covered by dark sunglasses and
her head is
drawing
wrapped in an ornate scarf. Her deep scarlet cloak will be
tight against her, but the most suspicious thing about her was
the silver weapon rested
aiming
in her lap. It was a small revolver and it is
directly at me.
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